Workpiece stripping device



J. DE MAINE WORKPIECE STRIPPING DEV'ICE May 20, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 25. 1953 INVENTOR (75sg fie/yame BY M NN Q m J $1? g g, 8 fiv mm mm. A N\ u. Q L m E M N0 ATTORNEY May 20, 1958 J. DE MAINEWORKPIECE STRIPPING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25. 1953 INVENTORMay 20, 1958 J. DE MAINE 2,835,090

WORKPIECE STRIPPING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORATTORNEY May 20, 1958 J. DE MAINE WORKPIECE STRIPPING DEVICE 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug.. 25. 1953 '8 R. o M n T a N R w e m N) T 1 A/x ited States WORKPIECE STRlPPIN G DEVICE Application August 25, 1953,Serial No. 376,297

Claims. (Cl. 53-189) This invention relates to envelope stuifing andmore particularly to stripping the ultimate workpiece or folded element,such as an envelope or folded sheet, from a stack of such foldedelements during each cycle of operation. The stripping operation of thisinvention is also particularly adapted for use with a stuffing machineof the type disclosed in Thompson Patent No. 2,384,506.

In said Thompson patent a reciprocating ram passes within an open foldportion in the lowermost folded sheet of a stack of sheets and, uponengaging the closed fold end thereof, the sheet is stripped and moved bythe ram beyond yieldable separator fingers positioned in the path of theclosed fold end. The fingers are arranged to obstruct feeding of theabove adjacent sheet which might otherwise result through frictionalcontact with the moving sheet. Upon passing beyond the separatorfingers, the folded sheet is moved by the ram into an open mouthedenvelope, the lowermost of a stacked supply of envelopes, and, uponengaging the envelope end, the envelope moves with the ram beyondanother set of separator fingers to a collecting position.

it is an object of the present invention to provide a marginal restraintfor the ultimate workpiece of a stack of folded workpieces, and toseparate the workpiece from the stack by a'force exerted through theopen'end and against the interior surface of the folded workpiece, andhaving a component normal to the workpiece so as to separate it from thenext adjacent workpiece.

In the present invention it is also an object to provide for strippingthe ultimate workpiece from a stack of folded workpieces by causingrelative movement between a ram and the stack, having at least acomponent normal to the ultimate workpiece while the ram moves edgewiseadjacent the end of the stack.

It is another object to eifect stripping of the end workpiece from astack by ram engagement with the workpiece in a manner which willsubstantially displace the end workpiece from contact with the stackbefore the workpiece is advanced by the ram.

It is another object of the invention to stack folded workpieces in amanner which will maintain the closed fold end of the ultimate workpiecesubstantially spaced from the path of the ram, and the opposite or openend atent 0 of the workpiece substantially in the plane of the ram forentry thereby, whereby stripping of the end workpiece from the stack iseffected as the ram enters between the fold portions, engages the innersurface of the lower fold portion, and advances beyond the initial pointof engagement. Particularly, it is an object to stack folded workpieces, in a manner which will maintain the folded or closed end of thelowermost workpiece elevated above the path of the ram and above theopposite or open end of said workpiece, whereby stripping of thelowermost workpiece from the stack is effected as the ram enters betweenthe fold portions, engages the inside upper surface of the lower foldportion, and advances beyond the initial point of engagement.

It is another to support a restricted marginal portion of the folded orclosed end of .the lowermost workpiece of a stack of workpieces at anelevated position above the normal plane of ram movement and the openend of the workpiece in the plane of ram movement, and to effectstripping of the supported portion of the lowermost piece from itssupport as the ram advances beyond the initial point of engagement withthe elevated portion of the lowermost piece.

Still another object of the invention is the stuffing of envelopes withfolded sheets in a manner such that a folded sheet is inserted into theopen envelope mouth of the ultimate envelope of a stack simultaneouslywith the separation of the ultimate envelope from the next adjacentenvelope, and restraining the envelope against movement laterally of thestack until the sheet has been fully inserted into the envelope.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that various changes in theprecise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made withinthe scope of What is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

.In the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention isshown wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an envelope stuffingmachine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-45 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified arrangement of the endsupport for the envelope or folded sheet.

Figs. 5 through 8 are operational views showing the movement of a rampassing an insert into the open mouthed envelope, as in Fig. 5; thestrippingof the envelope from its support while the insert movementcontinues to the end of the envelope, as in Figs. 6 and 7; and finallythe ejection of the stufied envelope, as in Fig. 8.

Figs. 9 through 12 show a series of operational views similar to Figs.5-8, but for the stripping and advancement of a folded sheet.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the stufling machine operatesin the same manner as the machine disclosed in the aforesaid Thompsonpatent and includes a driven belt 20 carried by pulleys 21, 22, whichpulleys are supported on shafts 23 and 24 respectively. The shafts aresupported within suitable bearings suspended beneath a deck 25 of ahousing 26 which generally encloses the operating mechanism of thedevice.

A ram 27 is adapted to move along a horizontal plane above the surfaceof the deck 25 toward a magazine 28 having a supply of folded sheets Stherein to effect the pickup and conveyance of the lowermost sheet, thenthe insertion of said sheet into an open mouthed envelope E upon thefurther advance of the ram. Said ram is secured to a slide 29 which isfreely guided in horizontally disposed ways 31-31 arranged at eitherside of an opening 32 running longitudinally through the deck 25.

A yoke 33, secured to the slide 29, extends downwardly therefromadjacent the belt 20 and has a drive connection with said belt through apin 30 which is secured to the belt and extends within the yoke 33.Hence the belt, upon being driven, will cause the yoke 33 and ram 27 tomove alternately forward and backward in a reciprocating order.

Above the deck the said magazine 28 and an envelope magazine 34 areprovided for the support of the sheets and envelope respectively. Thesheet supporting magazine comprises a rear wall 35 secured to the deck25, as at '56. A front wall 37 is also secured to the deck 25, as at 38.Adjustable side guides may also be provided, as shown at 3939.

The envelope magazine 34 comprises a rear wall 41, secured to the deck,as at 42, similar to the magazine 28, but does not require a front wall.Instead, adjustable guide rods 43 extend vertically upward from anenvelope flap supporting platform 44. Said guide rods have crank arms 45which are arranged for pivotal adjustment about fixed centers 4646. Freemovement of the ram is permitted through space at the lower portion ofthe magazine walls and beneath the flap supporting platform 44.

The support of the lowermost sheet of a stack of folded sheets isprovided by means of a shelf or ledge 40 arranged perpendicular to theinner front wall 37. An extended end of one fold of the said lowermostfolded sheet normally rests on the ledge 40. Another shelf or ledge 47is provided on the inner surface of the rear wall 35 but is located at aplane above the plane of the ledge 40 and provides a support for thefolded or closed end of the lowermost folded sheet.

With regard to the support of the envelopes, the flap portion of thelowermost envelope lies on platform 44 but the opposite end of theenvelope will rest on a shelf or ledge 48 projecting from the innersurface of the rear wall 41. The position of the ledge 48 is in a planeabove the plane of the top or face of the envelope at the mouth position49 thereof. If desired, the ledge 47 or 48 may comprise a plurality ofshort projections as indicated at 50 on the substitute rear wall 34::shown in Fig. 4.

Means is also included for entering and spreading the open end of thefolded sheet and for opening the mouth of the envelope prior to themovement of the ram 27.

Said means includes a pair of claws 51, pivotally mounted at 52 belowthe sheet magazine 28, and a pair of claws 53, pivotally mounted at 54,below the envelope magazine 34. Connecting bars 5555 are joined with theclaws 51 and 53 at 56 and 57 respectively. The bars 55 continue towardthe left or front wall of the machine housing and are pivotally joinedat 58 with a crossbar 59. Said crossbar 59 has a leg 60 which carries acushion 61 projecting in the path of the yoke. Said crossbar 59 is alsonormally urged to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, by means of springs62-62, whereby, upon movement of the ram toward the magazines 28 and 34,the bars 55-55 will be urged in the same direction to effect rocking ofthe claws 51 and 53 to the right into operative position. A cushion 61ais also positioned in front of the leg 60 and cooperates with thecushion 61 in absorbing shock which develops when the yoke 33 effectsreturn movement of the crossbar 59 and bars 5555.

As stated, the invention relates to stripping of the ultimate foldedsheet or envelope from the stack of either folded sheets or envelopes,and the figures which best disclose this operation in particular will befound to be Figs. to 12. Figs. 5 to 8 relate to the stripping of anenvelope E and show a conveying and force producing agency such as theram 27 as it comes from the previous station carrying a sheet S to bestuffed into the envelope at the same time that the envelope is strippedfrom its stack. In Fig. 5 the ram 27 is shown as entering the open mouthof the envelope after the month has been opened by the claws 53. Saidclaws also cause the back wall of the envelope to be held firmly againsta portion 63 of the deck 25. With the closed end of the envelope restingon the ledge 48, at a plane above the plane of the ram, the back wall ofthe envelope is inclined upwardly from the point of claw grip to theledge 48. As the ram advances and the leading end thereof reaches theinside surface of the back wall of the envelope, Fig. 5, the continuedmovement of the ram will effect a camming action against the inclinedenvelope wall and exerts a force thereagainst to move the closed end ofthe envelope downwardly, the same from the ledge, and separate it fromthe next adjacent envelope while stripping, as is about to occur in Fig.6. By the time the ram has advanced to the position of Fig. 7, theenvelope will have been entirely stripped from the ledge and will now bepositioned in the plane of the ram opposite an opening 64 in the rearwall 41 and substantially out of contact with the next envelope in thestack. The rarn movement will then continue without further envelopemovement until, upon reaching the closed end of the envelope and thuscompleting the insertion of the folded sheet, it removes the envelopefrom the grip of the claws 53. Envelope feed by means of the rammovement then continues until the yoke driving pin 30 reaches a positionat the right end of the belt 20, at which time the envelope will haveadvanced beyond the wall 41. Upon reversal of the ram drive theenvelope, with folded sheet therein, will have flown from the end of theram by momentum or may be stripped in any suitable manner.

In the arrangement according to this invention, the lowermost envelopeis withdrawn downwardly from the stack while the next lowermost enveloperemains captive within the magazine with the closed end thereofsupported by the narrow margin-engaging ledge 48. In contrast, when thelowermost envelope is moved from beneath the stack in the Thompsonmachine, frictional drag against the next lowermost envelope occurs,sometimes to a degree which is sufiicient to cause the above adjacentenvelope to move with the envelope being withdrawn by the ram.

From the immediately foregoing detailed description taken in connectionwith Figs. 5 to 8, it can be seen that what occurs during stripping ofthe envelope E from the stack is a relative displacement between the ramand the body of the stack in a direction normal to the bottom envelopeof the stack. While the ram is actually guided in a straight line, thisline is at an angle to the bottom envelope of the stack, so that, in theform of the invention illustrated, this displacement is a substantialcomponent of the ram movement and occurs simultaneously with themovement of the ram laterally of the stack.

In Figs. 9 through 12, the several steps of the stripping of thelowermost folded sheet from a stack of sheets is shown in a mannersimilar to the stripping of the envelope, but inasmuch as the operationis substantially identical to that described for envelope stripping,further description is not believed necessary.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in an envelope stufling machine having a horizontallymovable workpiece conveying member; means for supporting a stack ofsuperimposed folded workpieces having one opened end and an oppositeclosed end, the open end of the lowermost workpiece being disposed inthe path of the conveying member and the closed end thereof beingsupported above the path of the conveying member, means entering theopen end to effect spreading and clamping of the lower portion of theworkpiece, the conveying member upon entering the open end of the foldedworkpiece engaging the lowermost inner surface thereof to effectstripping of the closed end from its support and then effectingwithdrawal of the workpiece from the clamping means during conveyance ofthe workpiece.

2. In an envelope stufiing machine, the combination with a horizontallymovable ram and means for supporting an envelope at the flap end thereofwith its mouth open in the path of the ram, of a support upon whichrests the end opposite the flap, said support being positioned above thepath of the movable ram to maintain the envelope in an inclinedposition, and means movable into the envelope mouth to effect spreadingand clamping of the rear wall of the envelope whereby, as the ram passesthrough the mouth of the envelope the inclined inside rear wall thereofwill be engaged and deflected downwardly by the ram to effect strippingof said envelope from its support, then convey the envelope in thedirection of the ram movement to an ejecting position.

3. An envelope stufling machine including in combination, a horizontallymovable ram; a magazine for supporting a stack of open flapped envelopesand comprising front guide members and back guide members engaging theflap and bottom edges of the envelopes respectively; means forsupporting the open flap portion of the lowermost envelope; meansmovable within the mouth of the lowermost envelope to spread said mouthto embrace the plane of ram movement and to effect clamping of the rearwall thereof; and a shelf extending inwardly from the back guide and ata plane above the plane of the ram to support the lowermost envelope atthe rear edge thereof and with the envelope body in an upwardly inclinedposition, the ram, upon moving through the open envelope mouth engagingthe lowermost inclined inner surface of the envelope to effect strippingof said bottom envelope edge from the shelf and moving said envelopefrom the stack.

4. An envelope stuifng machine including in combination a horizontallymovable ram; a magazine for supporting a stack of folded sheets arrangedwith a long top fold providing a marginal overhang adjacent an open edgeof the sheet; said magazine comprising front guide members and backguide members engaging the overhang and the folded or closed edges ofthe sheets respectively; means for supporting the overhand of thelowermost sheet; means movable beneath the overhang and between theportions of the folded sheet to effect spreading and clamping of thelower portion of the open end thereof while embracing the plane of rammovement; and a shelf extending inwardly from the back guide and at aplane above the plane of the ram to support the lowermost sheet at theclosed edge thereof and with the lower portion of the sheet in anupwardly inclined position, the ram, upon moving through the opening atthe overhang edge of the sheet engaging the inclined upper surface ofthe lower portion of the spread sheet to effect 6 stripping of theclosed edge of the sheet from the shelf and moving said sheet from thestack.

5. An envelope stuifing machine comprising a horizontally movable sheetconveying ram; means for supplying sheets to said ram one at a time tobe conveyed thereby; a magazine for supporting a stack of open flappedenvelopes including means for supporting the open flap of the lowermostenvelope; means movable within the mouth of the lowermost envelope tospread said mouth to embrace the plane of ram movement and to grip theenvelope and retain it frictionally against movement; a shelf extendinginwardly from the magazine above the plane of ram movement to supportthe lowermost envelope of the stack by its closed margin with theenvelope body in a position inclined upwardly towards said margin; andmeans to reciprocate the ram in said path, the ram, upon receiving andmoving a sheet through the envelope elfecting stripping of said bottomenvelope from the shelf by engagement with the inclined inner surface ofthe lowermost wall of the envelope, moving the folded sheet intocompletely inserted position in the envelope, and ejecting the filledenvelope from the stack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS997,145 Lines July 4, 1911 1,285,623 Chisholm Nov. 26, 1918 1,423,792Gowdy July 25, 1922 1,958,270 Hawley May 8, 1934 2,257,465 HigginbottomSept. 30, 1941 2,384,506 Thompson Sept. 11, 1945 2,701,662 Smith Feb. 8,1955

